20 June 2017

With Icebox Dressing

Since Disney Springs began opening up
the doors of its new establishments, it has become more and more difficult to
keep up with the bounty of wonderful restaurants that continue to be welcomed
to the area. One of the most popular destinations has become Chef Art Smith’s
Homecomin’, and with good reason. From atmosphere to offerings, no detail has
been overlooked. There seems to be a notion these days that great food is
either coming from fine dining, even in its most modern incarnation, or from a
best-kept-secret type of dive, and yet, Homecomin’ delivers on all fronts as
being a family-friendly, middle of the road type of venue. The star of their
menu, and everything else the restaurant offers, is the Fried Chicken Sandwich.

On the menu it is listed as being buttermilk-brined
for 24 hours and double-battered, dressed with hot sauce aioli, iceberg
lettuce, tomato, and bread and butter pickles. It comes complete with a side of
house-made barbecue chips drizzled with icebox dressing. The description alone
has enough in it to make me giddy, from the bread and butter pickles, to the
brining process, and even that icebox dressing drizzle, but the real question
is can it deliver on the menu’s promise? The short answer is absolutely.

I’m quite frankly not sure where to
begin with this one because the entire serving makes me excited. Let’s start
with the chicken itself; that seems logical. If you’re someone who likes
lightly breaded and fried chicken, this isn’t the sandwich for you. The chicken
is extra crispy with a breading that hits all the right notes for southern
fried chicken, even without the bone. The buttermilk has definitely soaked into
every recess of the chicken that it could, and the double-battering means that
none of the juices escape.

The hot sauce aioli is done right as
well. While aioli is a fancy way to gussy up mayonnaise, here the hot sauce is
the star and the mayo is only there to thicken it up a tad. It’s a heat with a
tremendous amount of flavor provided by its peppers. Iceberg lettuce has taken
it a bit on the chin lately, with everyone clamoring for something more green,
with more flavor and nutrient value. I get that, I’m usually that person as
well, but for an old-fashioned fried chicken sandwich, the iceberg lettuce is
the right call. As for those bread and butter pickles, they are just like your
family used to make, if they were known across the county for their pickling
skills. I even asked for a few extra on the side, because, well, I love pickles
and these are top notch.

As for the side of barbecue chips and
icebox dressing, these are also first rate. The chips have the barbecue flavor
you are expecting, nothing fancy, but the chip cut is a bit thicker so there
are no flimsy crumbling chips in the bunch. Icebox dressing may be a confusing
name to some, it is basically a thin, ranch style dressing that has been
prepared with herbs and spices at home and doesn’t typically have as long of a
shelf life as typical store bought dressings. It had all the hallmarks of
freshly made, with the herbs in particular having a stronger presence than
could be tasted in an over the counter dressing. Honestly, my chips could have
done with a double drizzle as the second layer of chips didn’t have as much,
but perhaps it is best to leave us wanting more.

It is getting more difficult as a writer
in a crowded field to distinguish oneself, especially when it comes to food
related content, which means we are often driven to hyperbole. I’ve always
tried to give a blend of what is good and what isn’t in a particular dish or restaurant
review, in order to give the words more credence. So, believe me when I say
that the Fried Chicken Sandwich at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ may be the best
sandwich found at Walt Disney World right now, and if it falls a hair short on
that mark, then it is most certainly the best chicken sandwich to be found.
Period. Full stop.